Consider the following: a small town + big city culture + a diverse innovation economy. Too good to be true? Think again...

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Consider the following: a small town + big city culture + a diverse innovation economy. Too good to be true? Think again...

Concentration of Driving Industries

According to Ann Arbor SPARK’s recently published Economic Benchmarking Report, Washtenaw County performs higher than the national average in driving industry employment. Driving industries are businesses that sell goods and services and grow our region’s economy. They create jobs, attract investment, and form businesses clusters that attract other companies to the region. They encompass a broad range of companies and employment opportunities.

Positive Job Growth + Low Unemployment

In addition, in recent years, Washtenaw County has experienced positive job growth and a steady decline in unemployment. From 2010 to 2016, more than 13,000 new jobs have been created here. Of the companies that work with Ann Arbor SPARK, 63 percent are hiring in 2017 – a great opportunity for job seekers.

Lots of Companies to Choose from

The diversity of companies here in the Ann Arbor region means that there’s incredible variety in the types of jobs available. A quick scan of Ann Arbor SPARK’s Job Portal shows open positions for everything from software developers and UI professionals to business development and sales. The companies hiring include Thomson Reuters, a company that achieved $11 billion in sales in 2016, to Altality, a high tech startup being incubated at SPARK Central.

Quality of Life – by the numbers

There’s a lot of competition for skilled talent, so why choose Ann Arbor? This region rivals the best cities in the world for quality of life. The proof? Ann Arbor was ranked the #1 most educated city by WalletHub, #5 best city for millennials by Forbes.com, #1 best cities to live in America by Niche.com – and those are just a sample of the accolades Ann Arbor earned in 2016.

Ann Arbor boasts college town charm while also being home to global companies like Toyota, Google, TD Ameritrade, and Dyson. It’s also home to a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, where startups – who’ve raised more than $241 million in private equity in the last four years – are growing and hiring.

Quality of life in the Ann Arbor region is a huge draw for both companies and talent. The opportunity to grow a career while being able to enjoy great restaurants, concerts, plays, running trails, lazy rivers, and more is why smart people are choosing to call here home.

There are tons of reasons we love to call Ann Arbor home, these are just a few. To learn more, visit annarborusa.org. Be sure to check out A2 Tech Trek, a yearly event showcasing some of our most innovative companies. Ann Arbor SPARK’s mission is to advance the economy of the Ann Arbor region by establishing the area as a desired place for business expansion and location.